Creative Mathematical Skills Awarded at the 52nd Canadian Mathematical Olympiad and the 1st Canadian Junior Mathematical Olympiad

Thomas Guo

OTTAWA, Ontario-
The Canadian Mathematical Society is pleased to announce the results of the 52nd Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO), Canada’s premier mathematics competition which was written by nearly 90 students from more than 50 different schools on March 12, 2020.

The students were selected based on their performance on the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (written November 7 and 8, 2019) and the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad Qualifying Repêchage (written February 12 - 19, 2020), competitions that are supported by Premier Sponsors: the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Society of Actuaries.

Canadian Mathematical Olympiad Committee Chair Professor Alina Stancu offered her congratulations to the top competitors for their outstanding achievements, and also to all participants who have competed for engaging in this mathematical challenge and for daring to test their problem solving skills. She added:

“Students participating in CMO are passionate about mathematical problems. I can easily imagine, and commend them for, their thrills of joy discovering a new and beautiful solution. Such a passion develops sophisticated, lifelong problem solving skills, so we should also be thankful to all parents and educators that nourish it and who may have sparked it."

The competition’s FIRST PRIZE and CMO Cup goes to Thomas Guo. Thomas is a grade 11 student from Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.

“I have enjoyed practicing for and competing in math competitions since elementary school, and I am glad that I was able to write this year’s CMO!”

When he is not preparing for math competitions, Thomas enjoys ice hockey, chess, computing programming, and video games.

Moreover, for the first time this year, the Canadian Mathematical Society has held the Canadian Junior Mathematical Olympiad (CJMO) that gives a similar opportunity for competing to younger students who do not write the CMO. Twenty students, grades 8 to 10, from almost as many schools, were invited to write the 1st édition of CJMO on March 12, 2020. The CMO committee found the junior competition to be a rewarding and useful experience for its participants who are likely to be seen competing in CMO next year or so.

The 2020 Canadian Junior Mathematical Olympiad winner is Richard Zhang, a grade 10 student from Western Canada High School in Calgary, AB.

Four other students were recognized with Honourable Mention. They are, in alphabetical order:

The Society would like to acknowledge the Premier Sponsors as well as other corporate, government, and academic partners.

About the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad
The Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) is Canada’s premier national advanced mathematics competition. Candidates require an invitation from the Canadian Mathematical Society in order to participate.

About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)
The CMS is the main national organization whose goal is to promote and advance the discovery, learning and application of mathematics. The Society's activities cover the whole spectrum of mathematics including: meetings, research publications, and the promotion of excellence in mathematics competitions that recognize outstanding student achievements.